The graphics in Point Blank 2 are just like the first games -- very simplistic and bright, very cartoony, very silly, and very ignored. You’re too much into the action to care about the graphics. For those that really want to be picky, though, the game is made to be a family affair, so all of the “people” that you shoot are very obviously cardboard cutouts, and the animals are all obviously clay, with all the sounds matching. No blood and guts here. The super-deformed anime graphics in the various game modes suit the game perfectly.

The sound is similar -- serviceable, sometimes too cute, but no one cares because you’re having too much fun shooting stuff. The game is very Japanese in some respects, which is good for those (like me) who like that sort of thing. But those that don’t -- you guessed it -- won’t really be noticing. This is one of those games that make you shortsighted to any flaws simply because you’re having too much fun to care.

Point Blank was all about gameplay, and Point Blank 2 is even more so. None of the levels are exact reiterations of the first game’s shooting galleries, and almost all of them are completely new. There are enough play modes to choke a horse -- classic Arcade mode, where you play 16 rounds by yourself or with a friend in an attempt to get to the castle, Endurance mode, where you climb a never-ending tower and have to survive as long as possible with three lives, Versus mode, where two people play against each other in contests that they choose, Party mode, with the requisite tournament modes and a rather oddball “strategy” game called Turf War, a Practice mode that lets you try out all of the different challenges, and a sort of mini-adventure game, the Theme Park mode, which itself houses five mini-games. I could go on and on and on about the gameplay modes, but then I’d have to describe the 80 or so different play modes that can come up in all the various modes of play, from one-shot accuracy monsters to cap-a-thousand-UFO levels to shoot-the-red-popup-targets and scads more. And then I’d be rambling on and on and on about just how great the game is, which I think I’m already doing, and you’d just stop reading the review. So suffice it to say that this game has gameplay in spades, hearts, diamonds, and every other card suit you can think of.

Point Blank 2 is decidedly more difficult than its predecessor, but on the other hand, the “Insane” levels (which were called “Very Hard” in the first game) are actually possible now. You get used to having to be good, though, and you’ll train yourself to be good at the game. And since it uses the Guncon, which is the most accurate gun available, you’ll be sniping your way to perfect scores in no time.

Point. Shoot what the instructions before each round tell you. Repeat. It’s very simple and very, very fun. There are tons of different things you’ve got to do in Point Blank 2, but they all involve shooting stuff. There’s only one problem with the mechanics of the game that the first one didn’t have, and that’s that you can’t recalibrate the guns between matches. This makes sitting arrangements more of a hassle, because you’ve got to get everyone to be at the same spot or the guns get off-kilter. Also, some of the game modes just seem they’re there because it’s something the programmers wanted to do, not because it’s a good idea -- the mini-games in the Theme Park mode come to mind as rather, ah, pointless. You’ll end up primarily doing the Arcade, Endurance, and Party modes, though, and there’s plenty of fun there for everyone. The few flaws will end up not getting in your way of having a damn good time with this very worthy sequel to the original glorious Point Blank. Buy it. You’ll love it.